The Starling Chronicles: Turning Tides
by Equoise
Summary: The first story in the 'Doctor Who: The Starling Chronicles' Series.  Aliens have always fascinated Katherine Starling, but when she makes the connection between the alien activity around London and one man, her life changes forever.
1. Prologue: The Tides Are Turning

**Title:** The Starling Chronicles: Turning Tides

**Summary:** (The first story in the 'Doctor Who: The Starling Chronicles' Series.) Aliens have fascinated Katherine Starling since she had an encounter with one when she was eight. But when she makes a connection between the alien activity around London and one man, her life changes forever.

**A/N:** So here's the prologue for 'Turning Tides'! This is the first story in what I hope to be many Doctor Who fan fictions that are based around Kat Starling. In the first section of this prologue, I have included a rather long author's note… This AN was extended, and was just going to be the first chapter of the story, but then after reading the rules a second time, I realised that you're not allowed to just post an 'about this story part' as a chapter on it's own, so I have refined it as much as I can, and have put it as a rather long author's note at the beginning of the prologue. I hope this doesn't cause any offence, as I feel that everything I have written on here needs saying to explain the story.

**Disclaimer:** Doctor Who is owned by the BBC. I own Kat, and anything/anyone who does not feature in Doctor Who.

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><p><strong>AN: ABOUT THIS STORY**

**General notes about this story:**

If you're planning on keeping up with this story (If even just 'maybe'), then please review this page saying so, just so I have a rough idea of how many readers this story is going to get.

- I shan't be giving away many spoilers, so you'll just have to read it!

- Please forgive me if this story isn't very good at the beginning, It's the first fan fiction I've ever written. So if this story seems a bit boring at the beginning, please keep reading, as it'll get better later on, I promise!

- I just thought I'd let you readers know that I haven't done a plan for this story more than about a chapter or two ahead, and I certainly haven't written any of those rough plans down… I never write down my plans, because I don't like having to finalize things. I'll be half way through the finishing sentence of a chapter, and I'll say: 'Nope, that's crap. *deletes everything* Rewrite!' So what I'm saying here is that I like to change things at last minute, and if I write a plan I feel really bad when I don't stick to it. Also, I don't write a plan 'cause they take ages and I just want to start writing…

- Please R,R&CC! This means Read, Review and Constructively criticize. No flames please, but I'll always take constructive criticism onboard. Also, please correct any of my facts if they're wrong! I've never watched Torchwood, so I've probably spent more time reading the entire Doctor Who wiki than I have actually writing this story… So if some of the things I write sound a little unrealistic (by Doctor Who standards) then please forgive me.

- I feel that Doctor Who is a more of an… action adventure story, than anything I would normally write. Normally I would make looking around a park two sides of A4 in size 14 font, but I feel that when writing Doctor Who, you have to keep up the pace, don't dwell too long on one thing, otherwise the story starts to get boring. And as I said, I don't usually write in the style of how I'm going to write this story, so if it doesn't turn out as well as I've planned, then forgive me. But at least hopefully writing this will teach me a new skill! Ooooor, never to write like this again.

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><p><strong>General notes about this section:<strong>

- This section of the story shall be updated as the story goes on, so please keep checking it!

- Any news about the story shall be updated here.

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><p><strong>Setting:<strong>

This story is set in many time periods. In this story, the Doctor had traveled with Rose, Martha, and Donna. However, The Master never came back, so the 10th Doctor never regenerated.

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><p><strong>Story Blog &amp; News:<strong>

- (04/04/12) Hello everyone! So, this is my first fan fiction! I hope it goes well, but I've never done anything like this before. I'm new to the site, so I don't really know my way around or anything yet. I've heard a bit about Beta readers, and that it's advisable to get one to read your chapters before you put them up. So if anyone would be interested in beta reading this story, please PM me! Also, if anyone with experience could show me how the site generally works, I'd be really grateful! Please PM about that too. The first chapter should hopefully be up by this weekend. Or the next… Depends on how much computer access I get. So please keep checking this story for updates! Thanks! ;D

- (16/04/12) Hi again everybody! First chapter's up. It's a bit long (8,000 words) and it's basically a history of Kat. It may be a bit boring at times, but it's going to be quite important for the rest of the story, so if you could read it without falling asleep, I'd be really grateful! Please review and tell me what your favorite line is! This story is gonna be so much fun, I'm gonna do a few add-on pieces to the main story. Without giving too much away, I'm just gonna say that one of them is going to be Kat's diary, but the other is a surprise! On a sadder note, I'd like to say RIP to Elisabeth Sladen who died a year ago today. I always used to watch The Sarah Jane Adventures, and it was a big part of my childhood.

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><p><strong>Kat's Profile:<strong>

**~ Katherine Starling (Kat) ~**

Species: _Human_

Home Planet: _Earth_

Home Era: _21__st__ century_

Age: _19 Earth years_

Appearance: _Kat is what most people nowadays would call very pretty. Kat is average height for her age, slim and has a very clear complexion. She has large, grey eyes and hair that is naturally a bronze-brown colour, however she dyed it midnight blue when she turned sixteen. Her hair is short, going down to just past her shoulders, and she has a side parting with a fringe that hangs over her left eye if she unclips it. It is thick, and wavy. She usually wears it down, and doesn't like to straighten or curl it. She has nicely shaped features, and an oval shaped face. She has a London accent. At a younger age, she used to have quite a round face, with long, bronze coloured hair and blue eyes._

Personality: _Kat is feisty, rebellious and won't take no for an answer. She can be disobedient, and is always curious. Determined and hot headed, Kat can sometimes say things she doesn't mean and offend people. She liked to wear dark clothes, blues, reds and browns, but isn't overly keen on black. She likes to wear trousers and jeans with a jacket or hoodie, nothing fancy. Rarely she will wear a skirt. Kat never goes out without her makeup on, however she usually only wears eye and lip makeup, as her clear completion does not need foundation and such. Braver than the average person, she's up for anything, and will fight to protect the ones she loves. She likes to be in control of situations, and will always try and take the lead. She doesn't like being defied, and will always do what she thinks if right, even if others warn her otherwise. She is willing to sacrifice herself for others, and has a kind heart, although she doesn't like to show it. She hates to have to rely on others, and likes to think that she's prepared for anything. Childlike at times, she is a fun person to be around, and will always make jokes. Good with words, she possesses the ability to talk her way out of tricky situations, but however she is not afraid to use violence. She can sometimes be flirty, but doesn't take well to people trying to chat her up. Her dream is to enroll in musical theatre, and has a flare for art, drama and music. Talented at drawing, it's what she likes to do in her spare time, along with listening to music. She is overall intelligent, and did well in History at school.  
><em>

History: _On the 23__rd__ of March 1992, Katherine Fae Starling was born to Barbara and Thomas Starling. Her mother is American and her father is Welsh. They moved to Wales from New York when Kat was six due to her father getting a new job. Upper class and wealthy from inheritance, they lived in a mansion in rural Wales. Kat went to the local state school, St. Drewery's, after convincing her parents that she shouldn't go to a private school. She was not so academic as creative, however she was intelligent. She loved art, music and drama, doing GCSEs in Maths (C), English (A), Triple science (B), German (B), History (A), Music (A*), and Art (A*). She did A levels in Music and Art, getting an A* in both. She begged her parents to let her go to an Arts School, but they encouraged her to be more academic like themselves. She also did swimming, Drama, Piano and modern dance outside of her school life, achieving grade seven in Drama, grade 6 in modern dance and grade 5 in piano. At the age of sixteen, she left home and moved to a small flat in central London. She left because she believed that her parents didn't love her any more, which in fact was mostly true. Her parents had never really had time for her; they lead busy lives in their work. Trying to make up for this, they tried to spoil her, but Kat didn't like it. They were overprotective, and she was never allowed to do what she wanted. In London, she tried to fit in as best she could, changing her accent from Welsh to London, trying to act as though she had been lower class her whole life. She got a job as a hospital porter, but was fired after a few months, as she was constantly rude to the patients. She auditioned for many roles in different films, theatre productions and the like, but even with her excellent school grades, she lacked the Art School qualifications and contacts she needed to land anything major. She has played minor roles in several musical movies and musical theatre productions, and currently works in an office of an insurance company._

Affiliation: _None_

Romantic affiliation: _Previous boyfriends, none (current)_

Other: _None_

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><p><strong>PROLOGUE<strong>

**( 6th April, 1992 )**

The old man sat on a grubby bar stool at 'The Salmon Inn', nursing a half-pint, running a wrinkled hand through his long white beard. He stared into the middle distance, his expression unreadable. He was dimly aware of noises around him. A small television blabbed at him from the other end of the bar, the wind whistled in a way that rose bumps on the back of your neck. The bartender, a young, spirited man in his late twenties, was absentmindedly wiping a beer tap with a cloth.

"Ain't no weather for the likes of fishin' today by the looks 'o things, eh Bill?" The bartender's voice was bored. Things were slower than usual in The Salmon. Over the years, it had grown to be the local meeting place of all the fishermen in Landryharen, a small village just north of Aberdaron, North-west Wales. And there were quite a few fishermen in Landryharen. Business in the Inn was usually slower than your average tavern, but on that windy, rainy day, things had hit an all-time-low. Even on the coldest of winter days, there were usually a few old fishermen seriously discussing the ever-growing price of cod. But today, it was only the bartender and the old man. And the bartender knew why. It was the air. Something in the air that day, it hadn't felt right. Some sense of foreboding had settled across the land, shrouding it in superstition. And you see, the people of Landryharen were very superstitious. The only fisherman who had gone out on the water that day had been Bill. _And that's only because Bill's one sandwich short of a picnic… _Everyone else had stayed at home, waiting for whatever it was that was supposedly going to happen…

Bill let out an uninterested grunt. The tender opened his mouth to say something else, but then thought the better of it, and shut it. The old man sitting in front of him was somewhat a legend in the small village of Landryharen. Nobody recalled how old Bill Bander actually was, but you could tell by his general appearance that you wouldn't be far out if you guessed eighty. Every day Bill would come to The Salmon, order a half-pint, drink it, and leave. He never socialized with any of the other fishermen, and had become a sort of local mystery among the townspeople. Who was this old man? Why was he there? Once, some boys had followed him home (under orders from their mothers), and found that he lived in a small, one roomed shack a few miles up the moor. And after they reported this, people started to fear the old man, for the moor was not a place to go if you valued your life. There was said to be a monster on the moors… And people had been going missing. But the bartender didn't believe any of this. _'E's just some poor man who's old an' past it, _he would think. Bill Bander, the balding old man with a map of his life shown in the wrinkles of his face. His marine blue eyes neither sharp nor soft. Just… in between. Expressionless. _He couldn't 'urt a fly._

Lightning cracked outside. "God's got 'is rage on tonight…" The tender muttered to himself. The old man didn't flinch at the lightning, he just continued to sit, staring at nothing. It was a real storm out there. Wave upon wave scrambled over each other, trying to be the first to crash upon the shore, to engulf the small tavern in their foam. Clouds loomed perilously close to the tops of the hills a few miles away. They illuminated yellow whenever lightning struck. And the old man just sat there, his hand rhythmically flowing through his beard, making a slight rustling sound. The tender sighed and carried on shining the taps. And then something caught his eye. It came from the door. From underneath the door, to be precise. A small, foamy sliver of water. It retreated as quickly as it had entered. And then entered again. It repeated this pattern several times before the bartender found his feet and slowly crept over to the door. And as he stood, looking down at the tiny wave that was licking closer and closer to his shoes with every lap, he noticed the swaying. The air seemed to be swaying, back and forth, back and forth… And something gave the tender the feeling that _this _was why everyone was staying in their homes. _This_ is what everyone had been holding their breath for. The tender's mind clicked back into reality, and he spun around. The old man was standing right behind him. And what shocked the tender most, was the look of calm on the man's face.

"The tides…" The old man's lips barely moved as he muttered it. That must have been the first time the tender had seen the old man speak. His voice was low and rough, almost frightening. And with the swiftest of movements, the old man pushed past the tender and opened the door. He stepped out of the Inn, into the foot deep water outside that was slowly, gradually, making it's way inside. And he kept walking.

"What're you doin'? You'll kill yourself out there!" But the old man just kept walking. And the water got deeper and deeper till it was up to his thighs. He stopped, and looked out at the great grey expanse in front of him. The tender couldn't see his face, but something in the way the old man stood, ridged, bold, told the tender that his expression was of pure hatred. With nothing else to do, the tender ran as quickly as he could (which wasn't very fast, bearing in mind that the water in the Inn was also about a foot deep by that time) out of The Salmon, and over to the old man. Standing beside him, he stared, wide eyed at the water. He could sense its fury. It would not stop until it got what it wanted. Then the old man spoke, and his voice seemed to bounce off the cliffs and the water and every particle in the air, and the tender was sure that everyone in the village had heard it.

"The tides are turning."

And with that, the sea reared. It left no survivors.

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><p><strong>AN: **So I hope you enjoyed the prologue! Please review and tell me what you think. I was a bit tentative about this chapter, because I won't be writing in this style for the whole story, just to let you know. Also, if anyone is interested in beta-reading this story, then please PM me! :D


	2. Katherine Starling: A History

**Title:**The Starling Chronicles: Turning Tides

**Summary:** (The first story in the 'Doctor Who: The Starling Chronicles' Series.) Aliens have fascinated Katherine Starling since she had an encounter with one when she was eight. But when she makes a connection between the alien activity around London and one man, her life changes forever.

**A/N:** So here's the first chapter as promised! I hope it lives up to all your expectations. It may be a bit long and boring, but this chapter is a character-building chapter. It'll help you get familiar with Kat and how she behaves. It's basically a short history of all her previous encounters with aliens. This chapter's going to be really important for later on in the story, so please read carefully! :D

**Disclaimer:** Doctor who is owned by the BBC. I own Kat, and anything/anyone else that does not feature in Doctor Who or any other known copyright.

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><p>Katherine Starling, more commonly known as 'Kat' to her friends, was always very curious. She never really understood the concept of phrases such as: 'Do Not Enter', 'Keep Clear', and 'Danger!' Even before she met The Doctor, she could never keep away from anything suspicious-looking…<p>

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><p>Kat couldn't sleep. Something in the air was keeping her wide away, tossing and turning in her bed. Moonlight shone through her window, dappling her duvet silver. Kat draped her fingers in and out of the light, imagining that she could feel its warmth on her hand. It was two in the morning, and, peeking out of a crack in her bedroom curtains, Kat looked out at the rolling fields that surrounded her house. Three floors up, Kat leant out of her bedroom window, unafraid of the height that met her. She breathed deeply, relishing in the cold night air that freshened her senses. Something caught her eye, and she looked up at the sky, spotting a star. She stared at it for a minute, as if it could see her, and it knew that she could see it. She made a wish. Her mother had told her that if she saw a big star, she should wish on it. So Kat wished, and stared up at the star for a long time, not really thinking of anything, just staring, hypnotized by its twinkling light. When all of a sudden, it moved. <em>Wait, what? No, it can't be. Wait, there it is again!<em> Yes, the star was moving! Closer and closer, the great ball of fire was hurtling towards her window, closer, closer. Kat pulled back, covering her head with her duvet as if the thin cloth could offer some protection from whatever was going to happen next. A great whooshing noise erupted in the calm night, and the air quivered. The duvet lit up bright white from the flash of light that came from outside. Kat squeezed her eyes shut. _No no no! Please no!_ The prayer rang in her ears as the whooshing grew louder. And then stopped. Kat was motionless, curled up in a ball under her duvet, tense, still. Not one of her muscles dared to move, including the ones that worked her lungs. Realising this, she took in a sharp breath. Fear coursed through her, making every nerve in her body alert, every hair stand on end. She listened. Nothing. Even the wind seemed to have died down. Eventually, curiosity got the better of her, and she dared a peek through a crack in the duvet. A glare of light met her eyes, making her squint. Taking a breath so deep that it hurt, Kat slowly unfurled herself, knelt with her duvet around her shoulders. Ants were crawling up and down the insides of her bones. Her heart raced a little harder with every breath she drew. Slowly, she extended a hand to draw back the curtains, but stopped just before it touched them. _Anything could be out there! I should go get mum and dad… _Common Sense tried to persuade her. _No! If I go and get them and come back and … whatever it is… is gone, I'll always wonder what it was. Could I live with that?_ That was Curiosity retorting. _But what is whatever it is hurts me?_ This argument played out for some time, and Kat came to the conclusion that Common Sense had more reasons not to look, but then there was always Curiosity in the background, bribing with: _But then you'll never know…_ Kat tried to balance up the two arguments, and came to the conclusion: _Oh, what the hell. It's two in the morning, and I really can't be bothered. _ Trying to ignore the alarm bells that were ringing in her head, she grabbed the edge of the curtain and tugged it back. Daring a glance out of the window, a sight met her that she would never forget. For there, in Kat's own back garden, was a small, glowing white orb, about two meters wide in every direction. It hovered about a meter above the ground, pouring out a brilliant white light. Kat stared, open-mouthed. There was nothing that could compare to the mixed surprise, terror and utter clueless-ness that lit her gaze at that moment. She couldn't move, and had to remind herself to breath again after a few seconds. Soundlessly, the orb opened. It folded back on itself until it was no more, and in its place stood, or rather hovered, a translucent, humanoid figure. It glowed a light lilac colour, with elongated fingers and long, flowing tendrils of 'hair' that were the same colour as its skin. Almost transparent wings, in the shape of those you might see on a butterfly, swayed back and forth slightly on it's back. It was as if the being were suspended in water.

Kat stared. And stared some more. She didn't know what else to do. Her mind didn't know what to think. Suddenly, the creature turned to look up at the window out of which the eight year old was gaping. Quick as lightning, Kat slammed the window shut and ducked under the sill, a normal reaction for a terrified human child who has just seen an unearthly being for the first time. Breathing hard, she crouched on her bed, not sure what to do. Had it seen her? Kat decided that her only option was to get up and look. However, she was not feeling as brave as she would have liked to. Slowly, carefully, she wrapped her fingers around the edge of the sill and started to straighten up. But as soon as her gaze met the window, she fell back off her bed and onto the floor, stumbling back on her hands and feet into the middle of the room. The creature was staring in at her from the other side of her window. There were black ovals where its eyes should have been, but they weren't massive like Kat had seen in movies. In fact, apart from that, it's face looked normal. A nose, mouth. But the eyes boar into Kat, looking into her soul, watching. Kat found that she couldn't move. The creature was also motionless apart from the slight swaying of its wings and 'hair'. The two creatures regarded each other for some time. Kat guessed what her face looked like, terrified beyond belief. Suddenly, out of the blue, something that her mother had always said rang quietly in her ears. _It's rude to stare._ Kat's gaze dropped automatically as if she had been scolded. Part of her told her to run, run until she got to somewhere safe. But the other part, her conscience, felt nothing but curiosity. Who was this creature? Where had it come from? In the end, the curious part of Kat won out over the other, again, and she lifted her gaze again to meet the creature's. If Kat didn't know any better, she would have said that the being had a puzzled look on its face. Then all of a sudden Kat heard a voice. Echoing, light, like a child's voice.

"May I enter?" Kat would have assumed that it was the creature that had been speaking, but its mouth hadn't moved. Then she grasped it.

"Are… Are you in my head?" She whispered. The creature nodded.

"Our tongues do not speak the same language. However, our minds do." The voice echoed lightly in Kat's head as if it had always been there, in her sub-conscience. Mystified, Kat sat in a world of her own. Questions rang around her head, which she thought was strange, as she should have been running for her life at that moment. The creature repeated its question. "May I enter?" Kat was snapped back to reality, forcing her to answer the creature's question. Not sure what it would do if she refused, Kat slowly stood up, her eyes on the being the entire time. _If it makes any sudden movements_, she decided, _I'll run_. She carefully placed her hand on the freezing cold window key, and turned. Opening it, she stepped back until she was within running distance of the door. The creature glided in through the open window and looked around. "Your planet is nice. Green. My planet is grey, unlike here." The creature glided over to Kat's bed and sat down. Plucking up what little of her courage remained, Kat spoke.

"What's your n-name?" The creature looked at her, and Kat felt instantly calmer.

"You should not be so scared. I am not here to hurt you. My name is Ksixt. My family call me Ksi. What is your name?" Kat wondered what the creature had done to her to make her feel so calm. Answering, her voice sounded a little more normal.

"I'm Katherine Starling. My family call me Kat." The creature's expression turned to one that resembled a smile. The ants that had been running up and down the insides of Kat's bones subsided. Ksi stood and glided over to Kat so that they were standing facing each other, only a foot apart. They were about the same height, and Kat assumed that Ksi must be around the same age as her. Kat didn't flinch at the closeness of the unearthly being. All of a sudden, she was sure that the creature wasn't going to hurt her. "What planet do you come from?"

"Arcateen V, Quardon sector." Ksi kept her reply simple. Kat was slightly off put by this, even though the alien was smiling friendlily.

"A-and why are you here?" Ksi let out what seemed like a sigh. She lowered her face slightly, looking away as if sad. The friendly smile was gone.

"I was travelling with my family. Our ships were caught in a solar penietactive storm, and I was separated from them. My ship locked onto the nearest level four or above planet, here. My ship was damaged in the storm, it's power drained by the radioactivity. I had to land so that it could recharge." Ksi glided around in a slow circle. "Never before have I been to another planet. My ship showed me some basic history and culture." Kat didn't understand half of what Ksi had just told her, but she nodded as if she did.

"So… How long were you planning to stay here?"

"Two Earth hours. My ship can absorb the power it needs from the planet's mineral rich crust. When it is fully powered, I shall return to find my family." Ksi smiled again suddenly. "What do humans do for fun?" She asked. Kat was caught off-guard. That wasn't a question she had been expecting, and she had to think for a second.

"Well, usually we sleep during the night time, but I guess we could do something. Hmm… Well, we can't go outside because it's dark and my parents will wonder where I am. We could-" She trailed off as she saw the Ksi had drifted off towards Kat's dolls house.

"What is this?" Ksi sat on the floor, cross-legged, and gently touched one long finger to the large wooden house.

"That's my dolls house. It's like a real house, but smaller, and you can play with it. Wait, you do have houses on Arca- Arci-…" Ksi let out a little laugh, the sound of tinkling bells.

"Arcateen V. A house is the building we are currently in, correct?" Kat thought that Ksi must be very clever if she was only eight and could already speak like that. She nodded. "No, we do not have houses. We do not sleep. We hibernate in winter, which gives us enough energy to last us for the rest of the year." Kat was fascinated. _She's so different to me! Yet we're really similar too…_

"Wow… I've never been to another planet before either. I- I don't think anyone on Earth has."

"The Human race has far to go. You are only in the first stages of evolution. Soon you shall be opened to the rest of the Universe." Kat sighed and glanced out of the window, up at the night sky.

"What's it like? In space?" She went to sit cross-legged by Ksi.

"There is a lot of… Space. And stars. Billions and billions of stars." Kat and Ksi talked for two whole hours, sharing stories of their pasts, explaining aspects of their different cultures as they went along. Kat found that they weren't so different to Humans. Ksi had to go to school as well, and hated it, like Kat. They both had an appreciation for art and music, and Kat gave Ksi her iPod to take back with her. Kat was mid-sentence, when suddenly she heard a high-pitched beeping sound. She turned her head this way and that, trying to locate the source of the noise. Ksi answered her mental question.

"That is my ship. It has recharged, I can go now." They stood in silence for a few seconds, Ksi looking Kat up and down as if she was looking for something. "You are unusual for a human, Kat. My teacher says that humans panic at the sight of other beings, and that they are dangerous. You don't seem dangerous, or scared." The beeping grew more urgent. "I must go now. Goodbye Kat, my friend." Smiling at the word 'friend', Kat stood back slightly. "Bye Ksi. Good luck on finding your family. Come back soon, right?"

"Maybe. Or maybe you could come and visit me. Here." Ksi held out her hand. A small, grey, pebble-like stone sat in her palm. "Take this. Always keep it with you. If ever you are in danger, use it. You will know how." She took Kat's wrist gently, her touch cold as snow, and turned it so that Kat's palm also faced up. She placed the small, cold pebble in it. "Goodbye now." Kat stared at the object in her hand, mesmerised, until she realised that Ksi had drifted over to the window and glided out. Kat rushed over just in time to see the glowing white orb materialize around Ksi. "Goodbye, friend." She whispered as Ksi's ship lifted up slightly into the sky, and then shot off, almost too fast for Kat to see. A final echo rang in her head.

"Goodbye."

~O~O~O~

"I'm telling you mum! There was an alien! She was called Ksi, and she came from Artc- Acre- Oh, some place I can't say!" Kat's mum didn't look up from her newspaper.

"Sweety, it was just a dream. You were talking in your sleep. I came in to check on you and you were fast asleep. Now stop bothering me and eat your breakfast. Your father needs to be in early for work today."

"Well obviously that was _after _Ksi left!" Kat tried to save the argument, but her mother gave her one of her 'don't push me' looks from above her gold-rimmed reading glasses. Kat dropped her gaze and scowled into her bowl of cornflakes. _Grownups are so stupid…_ She thought ruthlessly.

At school, nobody would believe her story either, even her best friend Samantha. Sam pretended to, but Kat could tell that she was only sticking up for her.

"Maybe it was… A trick of the light or something." Sam suggested. Kat sighed and traced her finger around the perimeter of the ever-cold pebble, the gift from Ksi. The two friends were sitting on a bench in the school playground watching their classmates play. Kat wasn't in the mood for tag, or stuck-in-the-mud, or anything for that matter. The scowl, which had planted itself on her face that morning, refused to budge. _Why is it so hard to believe that there was an alien in my room last night?_

"Yeah, maybe…" Kat knew that it hadn't been a trick of the light, but she wasn't in the mood for arguing. "When I grow up, I'm gonna become an astronaut, and go into space." This comment stared as an agitated growl at first, but then, as Kat realised that it could actually be a plan, she grew more and more excited. "And I'll be the first person on Pluto! No, I'll be the first person to find a _new _planet, and you, commander Jones, can be my second-in-command!" She told Sam, who thought this all sounded rather ambitious. "And I'll find Ksi and thank her for this!" They stared at the pebble-like object on the table in front of them as if it could jump up and bite them at any moment. But it just sat on the bench, motionless. Kat thought that she could sense a kind of energy surrounding it, but that had probably been the power of will.

"It looks a lot like a pebble to me…" Sam muttered. Kat shrugged, unworried by her friend's remark.

"It's probably so that it blends in. I mean, if I turned up with some flashing gadget, people would be all over it, wouldn't they?" This seemed plausible to Sam, but she still wasn't entirely convinced. Kat let out another long sigh, and slouched down on the bench. Suddenly, something caught her eye. A flash of brown, outside the school gates. Her head snapped towards it, but there was nothing there. Or at least, nothing she could _see._ Fuelled by her imagination, Kat stood up and rushed towards the gate.

"Kat?" Sam called to her. Gripping the rusting iron bars, Kat stuck her head through the gate. A man was walking away from the school, his long brown overcoat rippling behind him in the wind. He was making his way over to a large, blue box. It had several windows, and at the top, in large white writing against a black background it stated: 'Police public call box'. Kat watched as the man fitted a key into a lock beside one of the panels, looked over his shoulder quickly before entering, and quickly shut the door behind him. Kat felt Sam's presence beside her.

"Now that, Sam, is rather 'conspicuous'." She rolled the long word off her tongue proudly. It was a word her mother had taught her. "That means it stands out. I mean, you don't see a massive blue box standing on the street very often, do you?" Sam shook her head.

"I suppose not. Although, it does seem… in a way… to kind of… fit in. If you get what I mean." Kat turned her head sideways slightly, as if observing it from a different angle would bring it into a new perspective.

"I see what you mean. It's like it's always been there. Weird…" Suddenly, the wind picked up, and a soft, whirring, wheezing noise could be heard. The noise pulsed quietly, making a slightly different sound each time. "What's that?" The noise grew, and Kat's eyes widened as the blue box slowly, almost unnoticeably, started to fade. The whirring grew louder, and the two eight year olds watched in silence as the box faded, until all that could be seen was the faint outline and an echo of the light that had shone on top of it. Finally, the noise died out and the box was gone.

As if planned, the two girls slowly turned their heads to look at each other at exactly the same time. Sam's face reflected the look of surprise, awe and curiosity that Kat's showed. Smiling widely, Kat muttered one word.

"Conspicuous."

* * *

><p>The first time aliens properly announced themselves on Earth in Kat's lifetime was in 2006, when Kat was thirteen. The whole world was unaware, totally naïve to the fact that something was going to happen that would be remembered in history, when suddenly a spaceship crash-landed in the middle of the Thames, taking half of Big Ben with it.<p>

~O~O~O~

"Ooo! Shoes!" Sam pointed towards a woman who was walking along the pavement a few meters away and clapped her hands a few times. Kat shrugged.

"They're okay. I suppose." She added for good measure. She didn't share the same 'passion for fashion' as her best friend. Taking a large bite out of her egg and cress sandwich, Kat lay back on the grass of Parliament Square, where her class were scattered. They had flocked together like birds in small groups, each group with a different level of volume depending on how popular they were. A group of popular girls were flirting with some boys who had just happened to be walking along the pavement. Kat let out a short tempered _pfft_ and lay on her back, staring at the bright summer sky through her sunglasses. "Some trip this turned out to be. All we're doing is sitting here! When were the teachers planning to get off their lazy butts and actually take us up there?" She muttered sulkily, nodding towards The Clock Tower, Big Ben. "Ugh."

"Hey, this is great! A day in London, just lying here watching the world go by!" Sam gave her. Kat took another angry bite of her sandwich.

"I swear, if we don't do something soon, I'm going to go up there on my own. I did NOT drag myself all the way to London from Wales on a Monday morning just to sit on some grass and eat sandwiches!" She paused, and then waved an angry finger at Big Ben for emphasis. Sam stroked the neatly trimmed grass in wide circles with both her hands.

"Faaaaaaamous grass!" Kat tried not to laugh, but failed. After that, they lay in silence for a minute, before Kat noticed something. A noise. A kind of… Whooshing. Opening one eye, she glanced around. Everyone was carrying on as normal, as if they hadn't heard anything. But Kat could hear it.

"Sam." Kat was still looking around for the cause of the noise.

"What?"

"Can you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"That whooshing noise." Sam sat up and listened for a moment before lying back down.

"No. You've probably got water in your ears or something." Ignoring her friend, Kat turned her head frantically, looking for the source of the ever-growing sound. People on the streets had stopped to listen, holding up others, causing arguments. And then one woman screamed. It seemed as though the whole of London stopped, just for one second. People in cars stopped because pedestrians had come to a standstill in the middle of the road. Kat slowly stood up as everyone within hearing distance turned his or her head to the screaming woman, and then to where she was pointing. And the fear spread like wildfire. Another scream, followed by another. Chaos ruled, the smell of fear was thick in the air as the public scrambled over each other to get as far away from The Clock Tower as possible. Kat and Sam were caught in the fast-flowing current of people, and were swept along with the tidal wave. Kat had just enough time to catch sight of the cause of the sudden uproar. A spaceship. Hurtling through the sky, a plume of dark grey smoke trailing it, marking its route.

_Crash! _

The noise would have been deafening, but could hardly be heard above the noise of the crowd. The spaceship crashed into the side of Big Ben, tearing off a massive chunk as it went. The world spun, the combined noise of the spaceship, the crowd, The Clock Tower being smashed, it was all too much. Kat fell to the ground among the hundreds of feet. Spinning around on her hands and knees, she gazed up as pieces of the great monument tumbled to the ground. Sinking above the heads of the running people, the spaceship flew out of sight. And then someone kicked Kat in the head, and everything went black.

~O~O~O~

"Hello?" Kat heard someone groan in answer, and realised with a start that it was. All she could sense was a soft orange light glowing through her eyelids as if someone was shining a light at her, and the voice. She focused all her energy on opening her eyes, and when she did, immediately closed them again to keep out the blinding light that met her. _Shit, I'm dead. Oh well that's just great._ Her thoughts echoed around her head painfully. _Ugh…_ "Hello?" Kat winced as the word echoed.

"Shut up." She replied. _Big mistake. _She winced at the pain of speaking. The voice ignored her.

"Don't talk, you'll be okay soon." The layers of sound built up around Kat as she emerged more and more into consciousness. The sound of an engine. Her senses were slowly returning to normal after being totally dead. Then her nerves kicked in. Kat tried moving her fingers, and felt them brush against something soft. A blanket? And then the real pain hit her. She let out a loud groan. Her whole body felt as if it had been trampled over by a herd of elephants. She imagined being trampled by elephants, and that just added to the pain. Something warm was trickling down the side of her head. Kat felt something touch it, dabbing. "Can you tell me your name?" _What, is there some sort of register to get into the afterlife? _Balling all her energy, she pronounced as clearly as she could:

"Katherine Starling." A pencil scratched nearby, someone was writing it down.

"Okay Katherine, just stay still. I'm going to give you something to help you sleep. We'll be at the hospital soon." Kat tried to nod, but failed. _Wait, hospital? _Was all she managed to think before she felt a sudden stabbing pain in her arm, and the soft, empty blackness enfolded her vision once again.

"KATHERIIIINE!" The high-pitched call woke Kat from her sleep. _Oh great… _Not bothering to open her eyes, Kat listened as the voice advanced towards her. She knew exactly who it was. The clicking of high-heeled shoes on polished tiles blocked out the noise of everything else. _Or _everything else had gone silent around her on hearing her mother running down the corridor. "I swear I'm going to sue the life out of her teacher when I find them! KATHERINE!" The clicking stopped, and Kat opened her eyes with a small sigh. The first thing she saw was her mother leaning over her, dyed platinum blonde curls framing her angular face, her trademark princess-pink lipstick making her lips look twice their natural size. Her mother, queen of the drama queens. _It's not her fault really though. _Kat recalled her mother's history. In school, she had been bullied for being clever, and one day she had gotten so fed up of it that she changed everything about herself. How she looked, how she behaved, she even pretended to be stupid. _And now she's become this._

"Mum, stop shouting." Kat muttered, and turned her head sideways to see where she was. The first thing she spotted was a drip needle sticking out of her hand. Kat felt like she was going to throw up. _Needles, _she thought with an internal shudder. However, there didn't seem to be anything to throw up, so Kat averted her gaze and looked around the room she was in. A long corridor with curtains dividing it on both sides. The room's main colour scheme seemed to be three different ghastly shades of aqua, which reflected light from the many windows to make the room seem brighter. A TV stood at the end of her bed along with a series of rather frightening-looking monitors and machines that were set up all around her. Kat felt a bandage pressing against her forehead, and her attention flicked back to her mother, whom a very serious looking security guard was trying to calm down.

"Stuff your 'security'. She's my daughter! I HAVE RIGHTS YOU KNOW!"

"Mum-"

"You better go get a doctor now, or you'll find yourself jobless before you can say 'redundant'!"

"Mum!- "

"And I'll tell you something else, when I find out which teacher was supposed to be looking after her, there'll be hell to pay, oh yes-"

"MUM!" Her mother finally stopped yapping like a small, angry dog, and turned to face her. _Ouch… Note to self: Don't shout. _Now the only noise in the room was the beeping of many heart-rate monitors. Everyone was staring at them.

"Yes sweety?" Her mother's sickly-sweet American accent suited the line perfectly.

"Stop making a fool of yourself!" Kat hissed through her teeth. Turning to the rest of the room she yelled: "Don't you all have things to be getting on with?" Immediately everyone's eyes were elsewhere, and the usual noise started up again. Kat turned back to her mother. "What d'you think your doing? Do you know how much-" She cut herself off as her gaze caught on the TV. The news was on, and crackly mobile phone footage of what she had witnessed a few hours earlier was playing. And she remembered. "Oh my God…" She breathed, as images flooded into her head. The screaming, the spaceship, the feet rushing past her, and then blackness. "Oh. My God." Was all she could manage. _So many questions… Where do I start? _Finding her voice, she turned her startled gaze back to her mother. "Where's Sam?"

"Who?"

"Sam! My best friend!"

"Oh, the one who came over for a sleepover last week?"

"YES!" Her mother shrugged.

"How should I know?" Kat let out an extremely agitated noise. _God damn my mum's stupid!_ She caught sight of a passing nurse who was going from bed to bed, ticking things off a clipboard she was carrying as she went.

"'Scuse me!" The nurse turned to look at her, rather embarrassed. She clearly didn't want anything to do with Kat in case she got on the wrong side of her mother. "Can you check if a Samantha Jones has been brought in?" The nurse quickly flicked through her clipboard, and shook her head.

"Sorry, can't help you there. But if she is admitted, I'll be sure to let you know."

"Thanks." Kat put on a weak fake smile. She knew first hand how intimidating her mother could be. The nurse gave Kat's mother a quick sideways glance before hurrying off to the other end of the ward. _All right, next question._ "What the hell just happened?" Her mother shrugged again.

"I don't know! I've just had to drive all the way from Cardiff to here. I haven't exactly had a chance to watch the news!" Kat ignored her as she stared on a rant, and listened to the TV.

'_- People have been injured, none dead so far. An emergency team has been sent out into the wreckage to try and find any bodies that the ship may have been carrying.' _It flicked to some live video footage of the spaceship with a small speedboat parked beside it. A young anchor man who was standing on the shore of the Thames took over the dialogue. 'I'm getting confirmation that they have found a body. Yes, they've found a body here in the wreckage of the spaceship that has crash-landed in the River Thames.' The camera zoomed in to show several men in suits carrying a large grey bag that looked quite like a suit bag. 'The details of this finding are being con-' The TV went blank, and Kat looked up to see a doctor standing over it. He was holding her medical chart that had been clipped to the end of her bed.

"Hello Katherine, I'm Dr. Stuart. How're you feeling?" Kat scowled at him.

"I was watching that." Dr. Stuart smiled.

"You're feeling fine then. But we'll need to keep you in overnight just to make sure that there's no internal injury. Can you recall how that happened? You weren't found anywhere near the wreckage." He asked, nodding towards her head.

"I was kicked in the head." The doctor seemed to be unaffected by the scorn in her voice.

"Okay." He turned to Kat's mother. "If you wouldn't mind filling this in. It's just medical forms and such. I'll leave you to it." He quickly hurried away at seeing the scowl on Kat's mother's face.

~O~O~O~

That night after all the visitors had left, Kat sat in the dark, unable to sleep with all the beeping and buzzing going on around her. Judging by the volume of snoring, everyone else in the ward seemed to be sleeping peacefully. Kat took this time to try and contemplate what had happened that day. But the whole thing seemed to be blurred in her mind. Whether that was down to the kick in the head or just her mind not wanting to remember it, she would never know. But one scene kept playing over and over in her head. The few seconds in which the spaceship collided with Big Ben, the noise of the crowd almost drowning out the mighty crash as part of The Clock Tower was ripped off. How many had been injured? Killed? And they had found a body in the wreckage! Is this what Ksi had been talking about when she said that 'Soon you shall be opened to the rest of the Universe'?

* * *

><p>2009. Kat was sixteen years old when the ghosts came. She had always hated the ghosts. 'They're not natural' she would complain whenever the subject was brought up. <em>Why can't people see that they're wrong? <em>But on the day the ghosts revealed their true identities, Kat was proven right…

"Almost time for the ghost shift!" Kat's mother called from the kitchen. Kat carried on reading her magazine.

"I don't care mum!" She called back. Whenever the ghosts were around, Kat tried to avoid them as much as possible. Something about them just didn't seem… Right. But the public had seemed to take well to the arrival of the ghosts. People had started treating them normally, as if they'd always been there. There were adds on TV for products to attract ghosts. TV dramas had started including ghosts in their filming. Ghosts were even taking part in reality TV shows! And they were allowed to just wander around on their own! People treated them as if they were human! Apparently, they were supposed to be the spirits of lost loved ones that had come back from the dead.

Kat had seen a woman walking down the street the other day with her iPod in. She walked right through a ghost without realising, turned around, and apologised to it! "I bet they have something to do with the water rising…" Kat muttered as she propped herself up by the windowsill to watch the ghosts. There were more than ever, wandering around the open fields outside Kat's house, not going anywhere in particular, just… Wandering. Kat watched them for some time before she noticed something strange about them. Were they…? No, they couldn't have been. But… Yes, they were. The ghosts were slowly walking into a formation! After about a minute, they had grouped together in a square, their feet moving together in perfect time. And then… They started to take form. The fuzzy, indistinct outline of the ghosts grew bolder and bolder until a certain shape could be made out. Pale grey, made from metal, arms firm against their sides, looking straight ahead… Robots? And one word could be heard as they marched in unison towards the house. And that word made every nerve in Kat's body jump, every bone quiver. The metallic voices rang out, echoing.

"Delete."

Kat instantly jumped off her bed and sprinted down the stairs, skipping every other step. The metal-men's feet could be heard as they advanced on Kat's unsuspecting family. Charging down the three flights of stairs, Kat shouted to her parents.

"MUM! DAD! GET OUT! GET OUT NOW!" She flung open the living room door, where, sure enough, both her parents were sitting reading. "Mum, dad, we have to leave. Now. The ghosts… They've changed." Kat had too many other things on her mind to be out of breath. Her parents had to move, now! Her mother turned to look at her with a smile.

"Changed into what, Honey?" Her voice was calm. Kat waved her arms frantically.

"Big, metal men! They're coming towards the house now! We have to get out!" Kat's mother turned back to her book.

"I'm sure it's fine Sweety."

"No! It's not! Please, just get out now! Can't you hear them?" Her mother listened for a second.

"Oh yes. It must be the washing machine again. Keeps making strange noises."

"No Mum! It's not! METAL MEN!"

"Thomas, go see what she's talking about." With a sigh, Kat's father pushed himself up from his armchair and plodded slowly over to the window.

"I don't see anything Kat, darling." Kat rushed over to him, grabbed him by the arm and toed him to the door.

"Other window Dad! Quickly!"

"Alright, alright. Keep your knickers on…" Kat hauled him over to a window, and gestured violently towards the platoon of metal men that were now advancing over the crest of a small hill. Kat felt her Dad stiffen beneath her touch. _At least he gets that it's not good. _Kat thought. "Uh… Darling, you may want to come and see this!" There was a hefty sigh and the noise of a book being slammed down. Kat's mother strode into the room.

"This better not be some joke you two are playing on me! If I find-" She was cut off by another very loud 'Delete!' Staring out of the window, Kat's mother's expression changed from one of agitation to unsuppressed horror. The sight was enough to scare the living daylights out of anyone. Kat's mother let out a scream. Kat clamped her hand over her mother's mouth.

"Shut up!" She hissed. "We need to get out, quickly!" Her father made a rush for the front door. "No! Not that way! That's the way they're coming from! Backdoor!" Dragging her mother, who had now clamped her own hand over her mouth and didn't seem able to rip her gaze from the metal men, Kat ran back to the living room. Trying the handle of the glass double glass doors, Kat found that they were locked. "KEYS! WHERE ARE THEY?" She called to her father who was busy barricading the door with several chairs and tables. He looked up at her and gasped.

"Kitchen!"

"Oh damn it! What the hell." Kat picked up the nearest freestanding chair and went for the glass doors.

"NO!" Kat's mother flung herself in front of the doors, and Kat stopped just in time. "These doors are imported from Venice! You are NOT breaking them!" Her mother said with a scowl. With an agitated growl, Kat put the chair down again. _Great. Mum comes to her senses at just the wrong time…_ Kat knew there was no chance of getting through her mother without injuring her.

"Fine!" She marched over to her father and started un-barricading the door.

"What are you DOING?" Her father stood watching Kat dismantle his handiwork. Kat turned her fearsome gaze on him.

"KEYS! NOW HELP ME!" Kat's father was used to this tone of voice from his wife, and knew what it meant. He started to help her. "I swear if we get out of this, we are keeping the keys IN THIS ROOM!" Soon, they had a clear door and a room full of upturned furniture. The metal feet were pounding outside, and Kat could tell that they would be upon the house in a matter of seconds. Throwing the door open, she raced for the kitchen and pulled the keys out of the 'useful things' draw. But as she hurried back to the living room, the front door was blown off its hinges. Several metal men filed through into the hall, surrounding Kat. Not sure of what to do next, she threw the keys to her father, who caught them, but just stood there, staring in horror as the metal men surrounded his daughter. Then one of them spoke.

"Note: Research shows that parental humans shall not leave without their offspring." Kat realised what they were doing. They were holding her hostage so that her parents wouldn't run! Kat tried to concentrate on buying herself some time and not screaming. Out loud, anyway.

"What do you want?" Her voice came out stronger and more powerful than she had expected.

"Humans are inferior. We do not answer to humans." It was the same one that had spoken before. _Think Kat. Keep them talking._

"But what are you? I- I demand you tell me your name! Y- Your… species!" The metal man paused for a second.

"We are Cybermen." All three icy syllables of the last word rang in Kat's head, repeating over and over again. Cybermen.

"Ha! You just answered to an inferior human!" She mocked, her voice shakier than she would have liked it to have been. _Think think think think! COME ON! I need something useful. Where do you find useful things? Useful things draw in the kitchen? Can't get there. _She mentally hit herself, and that seemed to jolt her thoughts. _Pockets! _Kat stuck her hands in her pockets, praying to God that there would be something in there that would save her life. She felt something cold, smooth, round. A smile crept onto her face. _Yes! Thank you Ksi! _Thinking fast, she curled her fingers around the object in her pocket, ready to use it. Some strange, inhuman instinct told Kat exactly what to do. A smile crept onto her face. Kat couldn't resist just one more jibe. "Ahh, you're silent now, aren't you? Not so confident when you've been outsmarted, are ya?" The Cybermen leader started to lift its arm, but Kat was faster. She threw her arm into the air. Silence fell. For a moment, everything slowed down, and a ring of blue energy emanated from the pebble, growing with every passing second. And then there was a bang, and a rather large bang at that. White light filled the room, blinding Kat. And then it was all over. Hand still outstretched, Kat opened her eyes to find several large piles of grey dust encircling her. Kat was speechless for a moment, and then- "WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS! YES! WOOOOOOHOO! MUM, DID YOU SEE THAT?" Kat was jumping up and down on the spot, screaming her head off. Adrenaline pumped through her veins, giving her a massive burst of energy. And then Kat realised something. Nobody had answered. Standing still, Kat looked around. Her parents were nowhere in sight. "Mum? Dad?" And then she spotted the doors. Or, you could say, the lack of doors. The explosion seemed to have broken every piece of glass and china in the whole house. And what was more; Kat's parents were nowhere to be seen. The doorframe was swinging on its hinges, the keys in the lock. _They left without me. They knew that I could have died, and they left. And I didn't even notice. _Unsurprisingly subdued, Kat stood for a moment, staring at the broken doors and the green hills beyond. Then, in once fluid motion, Kat closed the front door, ran up to her room, sat on her bed, and rocked back and forth with her knees under her chin. She stayed like that, in shock, partly (and probably mostly) from the Cyberman attack, but partly at being abandoned by her parents.

~O~O~O~

Kat didn't know how long she sat there, but when she finally became aware of her surroundings, it was night-time. With a jolt, the first thing she realised how hungry she was. Stiff from lack of movement, Kat made her way clumsily down to the kitchen in order to find some food. Ignoring the cold draft that blew through the windowless house, Kat turned on the TV, and was met with a view of London. Only half it's buildings were smoking, cars were left abandoned in the middle of the street, and there were quite a number of people roaming around calling the names of their lost ones. A thought hit Kat that hadn't occurred to her before. _It wasn't just here, it was everywhere. All over the country. Maybe even the world. _Lightning cracked outside, and Kat could hear rain pounding hard on the plastic conservatory sat down at the kitchen table with a ham sandwich to watch.

'_Nobody really knows what has just happened. Reports are coming in from all over the world about metal men, suggesting that this attack was not confined to the UK. Peter Campbell is out on the streets of London, interviewing members of the public. Peter.' _The camera flicked over to a man in his mid-thirties, standing in the middle of a semi-detached street. The scene was just as Kat had expected, smoke, dust, stray people wandering around and shouting out names. And worst of all, dead bodies, lying in the road. Kat suddenly lost her appetite.

'_Thanks Craig. Here on the streets of London, chaos rules. The street that I am in today is an example of some of the worst hit areas. It is said that there were thousands of these 'metal men' causing destruction in this part of the city alone. We talked to some members of the public about what they think.' _The camera flicked to some pre-recorded footage of the camera crew wandering up and down the street, bugging people. A woman was crying her eyes out, screaming about a lost child. An old man and woman were sitting on the street curb, holding hands, her head resting on his shoulder. A man in a brown over-coat was- Wait, hang on. It couldn't be. Could it? It was! Kat gasped as the man walked down the road towards the camera crew, hands in pockets, looking straight ahead with mixed anger and sadness on his face. _'Excuse me sir, would you mind sharing some of your views on the current state?' _That was Peter trying to get the man's attention. But the man just kept walking, without even a glance at the camera crew. _'Sir? Please, just a few seconds of your time for BBC news.' _Suddenly, the man swung around, his face pure hell. He glared right down the camera, and the cameraman took a step back as if he expected the man to attack him. Kat could tell that the man had been crying recently. _'You humans, you think you can do things. You think your so… Capable! Well this is a message for every stinking human watching. You're not.' _And with that, he walked away. The footage kept on playing, but nothing moved, no one talked. Just the gently bob of the camera. Everyone had been shocked into silence by the power in his voice, his sheer authority, his obvious rage. And then it cut back to live. _'Well, as you can see there, everyone's pretty upset. And-' _Kat stabbed the off button on the remote and sat there, staring at the blank screen. After several minutes, she found her voice. "After eight years, he's exactly the same." And with that, Kat made up her mind. She rummaged around for a piece of paper and a pen. Finding one, she sat down again and started to write. Kat felt like she was in a dream, only half aware of what she was writing. She finished writing in a few minutes, and quickly skimmed through what she had written. Slamming the pen and paper down in the centre of the table, she then ran upstairs, dragged her suitcase out from under her bed, and started throwing things in it from her wardrobe. Then, she packed a few personal belongings, some money and some food. Eventually, when she thought she had got everything, she zipped it up. A few minutes later and Kat was standing by the door, hood up, suitcase in hand. She managed to tick off a checklist in her head. _Money, phone, credit card, passport, clothes, toiletries, food. _She had everything she needed. Kat turned around and opened the door. She stepped out into the pouring rain, into the darkness. And ran.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Okay, so I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Sorry it took so long, it's 8,000 words… As you might have guessed, Ksi is a Starpoet (Or a butterfly person, it said both on Wikipedia.) If anyone's ever watched the Sarah Jane Adventures or an old episode of Torchwood, then you'll know what they look like. I haven't watched the Torchwood episode, and the Starpoet doesn't speak in TSA so I don't know how they speak or anything. I don't think the rest is too complicated… The note in the last part will be explained later in the story. So please read and review! Every chapter I'm gonna say: 'Tell me your favorite line!' so please do, whether it's funny or sad or just a random line you found really inspirational. Thanks! :) Oh, and also, please check the story blog on the prologue page for an update!


	3. The Pen

**Title:** The Starling Chronicles: Turning Tides

**Summary:** (The first story in the 'Doctor Who: The Starling Chronicles' Series.) Aliens have fascinated Katherine Starling since she had an encounter with one when she was eight. But when she makes a connection between the alien activity around London and one man, her life changes forever.

**A/N:** Chapter two has arrived! This is the real beginning of the story. A strange man turns up at Kat's door asking about someone called 'The Doctor'… Sorry if you find it a bit short compared to the last chapter, but this is how long most of the chapters will be from now on. Also, just so you know, Kat is eighteen in this chapter. Please R,R&CC (Read, review and criticize constructively!)

**Disclaimer:** Doctor who is owned by the BBC. I own Kat, and anything/anyone that/who does not feature in Doctor Who or belongs to any other recognised copyright.

* * *

><p>Kat stood staring as the spaceship lifted the small, round creatures up, up in a vortex of light. Everyone around her was staring too. It was impossible not to. There was silence, and some of the little things were waving down at the people on the street below. And then they were gone, just like that. A woman lay dead on the ground, after (Kat thought) she had stumbled blindly into the light vortex. Members of the public were trying to push past the barrier the police had set up, trying to get a closer look, but were being restrained by the police themselves. A group of paramedics hurried to put a screen around the woman, to avert the eager eyes of the public from the disgusting scene in front of them. Of course, it did no good. It just made people want to see more.<em> The Human Race. <em>Kat thought with exasperation._ Why can't we just stay away from things we know will be bad for us?_ She sighed, and pushed her way back through the crowd of people that surrounded her, eager to get a better view.

"'Scuse me. Coming through." Nobody was listening; there was too much noise coming from the shocked group. _You would think that they would be used to it by now…_ Kat thought. She sat down at the top of the steps of the Adipose Building and watched the people push past each other. With a sigh, Kat looked around. Not for anything in particular, just looking. She didn't feel like going home yet, but she had nothing to do there. So she just sat back and watched as slowly, the crowd shrunk until there were only a few people hanging about by the edge of the barrier. _Well, that's the show over._ Kat stood up and brushed the dust off the back of her trouser legs, ready to leave. And then she saw him. Once again, wearing the same brown coat he'd been wearing the last two times. _That man. Always there, never changing, never growing older. Who are you?_ Kat froze, staring as he strode from around the back of the Adipose Building. This time he had a woman with him, a ginger haired woman in a black suit. The man threw something in a bin as he passed, a depressing look on his face, one Kat could only identify with eternal loneliness, as his companion chattered away excitedly. They turned a corner, and were gone.

Kat slowly went over to the bin where the two had been just moments earlier. Trying to look casual, she leaned over and peered into it. A crisp packet, a few old cans, a pen. Yes! That's what he had been carrying, a pen! Awkwardly, Kat reached one arm into the bin and retrieved it, receiving several strange looks from passersby. Giving an awkward smile to one woman who had stopped to look at her quizingly, she hurried away down the pavement, clutching the pen tightly. By this time, it had started to rain hard. Kat's jeans tightened around her legs as they absorbed the water, and her dark blue hoodie and midnight blue hair were drenched within minutes. Deciding that she didn't want to have to walk five miles in this weather, Kat ducked into a dark, narrow alleyway. Doors ran all the way down with alley on both sides, indented slightly into the walls. The indents gave Kat some cover from the rain, and she leaned against a door that was marked with a 'danger of death!' sign, showing a man being struck with a lightning bolt. She took this time to inspect the pen. Holding it between her index fingertips, she turned it around and around, looking for something, anything that would not be found on a normal pen. A trigger or something… Yes! There! A small, almost invisible button, hardly standing out from the shiny black surface. A wave of foreboding washed over her. _You know, if you push it, something's going to happen. And with your luck, probably something bad._ Her conscience warned her. _Is it worth the risk? _

_Oh, what the hell._ Kat closed her eyes and pushed the button. Nothing. Silence. Slowly opening her eyes, Kat scowled at the pen.

"Oh come on. You've got to do something." She shook it; hit it against the palm of her hand. Suddenly, a faint blue light started to flicker at the end. Slowly, it grew brighter and stronger, along with a strange buzzing sound. Kat stared at it in awe as the light got brighter and brighter... Then: _Click!_ Kat fell backwards through the door she had been leaning on, and her head hit against the floor with a painful bang. Her free hand flew out to her side, hoping to stop her from skidding headlong into the charged panel that she knew would be behind her. However, the other hand, the one holding the pen, collided with the panel. With an almighty crash, sparks flew everywhere. The pen flew across the room and out into the rain.

Kat lay there for a few minutes, mostly unharmed, but concussed. The pen seemed to have conducted all the electricity away from her body, and into itself. A groan escaped her lips.

"God damn…" Slowly, she lifted herself into a sitting position. The charged panel hissed behind her. "Oh shut up." She told it. Dragging herself to her feet, Kat didn't even try to figure out what had just happened. She leant against the wall and put a hand to her head, trying to stop the throbbing that threatened to overwhelm her. Eventually, her vision stopped spinning, and Kat pushed herself away from the wall. Picking up the pen from the floor, she held her finger a good length away from the button as she started her walk, slightly clumsily, home to her flat a few miles away. Just as she was passing another alleyway, Kat heard a strange noise. A kind of wheezing, rasping that faded in and out gradually. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw a flash of blue, but when she turned to look, it was gone. If it weren't for her knowledge of this noise, she probably would have blamed it on her concussion. But she knew what it had been, even if she hadn't seen it. Knowing that the blue box would be gone by now, she carried on her long walk home.

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><p>As soon as Kat got back, she took a long shower, and then flung herself onto one of her two sofas. With a loud sigh, she looked around her small flat. Four stories up and only two rooms, Kat's flat wasn't the height of luxury. People were always knocking on her door, asking if she wanted to buy dodgy looking items, and the Police were always stalking around like they expected to hear gunfire at any moment. As soon as she had moved in, Kat had redecorated, ripping off the 80's wallpaper and painting the whole flat a tasteful shade of olive green. Using her substantial amount of money which had built up over the years from her parents, Kat had had the kitchen and bathroom ripped out and replaced, the floor redone, and had bought some new furniture. To be honest, Kat could have probably afforded a proper house somewhere decent, but she'd chosen to live in the centre of London. She was fed up of living the high life with her parents. Plus, London seemed to be where all the aliens were.<p>

Carefully, Kat picked up the pen from where she had placed it on the coffee table before her shower, and lay on her back. The pen wasn't much in terms of appearance, a simple black click pen with a silver clip and a glass end. But Kat knew what it could do. Fingering it silently, she found the tiny button on the side. _Don't press it._ Kat wished that her conscience would give her a break. Just to defy it, Kat pressed down the button as hard as she could. The blue light on the end faded in, and the sound stared up again, gradually at first, but got louder and louder until- _Click! _The TV turned on. Kat turned her head to stare at it. Yes, sure enough, the news anchorperson was there, speaking about the recession. The light and sound coming from the pen died out as soon as Kat's finger left the button. _So, it opens doors, it turns on TVs… What else can it do? _

"And… turn off!" She pointed the pen at the TV and held down the button. The TV obeyed loyally. Kat sat back with a smile. _I wonder what sort of places I can get into with this… _Suddenly, there was a sharp knock at the door, making Kat jump. Cautiously, she stood up, clutching the pen to her stomach with one hand. Usually, the only people who turned up this late at night were drug dealers, and Kat really wasn't in the mood for threatening. The knock sounded again.

"Alright alright I'm coming!" Swiftly walking over to the door, Kat opened it a crack. There stood a tall man with brown hair, wearing a World War Two greatcoat. He was looking behind him when Kat opened the door, as if he was worried that someone had followed him. "Yes?" She asked. The man's head snapped to Kat as she spoke. A smile crept onto his face.

"Hello there, I'm Captain Jack Harkness." His accent was American. There was a short pause in which Kat looked the man up and down doubtfully, and the man just stood there smiling at Kat.

"Whatever you're selling, I don't want it."

"No, I'm not selling anything. Mind if I come in?" Kat was slightly shocked at this.

"Yes, I do mind. Who d'you think you are, just turning up and demanding to come into my flat?"

"I wasn't demand-" Kat tried to slam the door in his face, but the man stuck his foot in it. "Look, can I just talk to you? For a second? Please?" Reluctantly, Kat opened the door fully, but kept one hand on it, just in case.

"You have one minute. Speak." The man found this very funny, and couldn't stop himself from smiling as he spoke.

"I'm looking for a friend of mine. He goes by the name of 'The Doctor' or possibly 'John Smith'. This… Used to be his old address."

"You don't sound very sure about that." Kat was wearing her best skeptical look. After a few seconds, the man spoke again.

"Alright, I lied, but you wouldn't believe me if I told you the real reason-" He was cut off as something suddenly started bleeping madly. The man reached into his pocket and grabbed that looked like a triangular lump of metal with quite a few different coloured wires sticking out of it at all angles. A large red light flashed hysterically in the centre. "Sorry. Damn thing-" He hit it, and the noise slowed to a calm, occasional beep. A confused look settled on his face. "What? That can't be right. Apparently, I'm standing on it!" He looked down to his feet, just to make sure.

"Standing on what?"

"Look, please can I come in, just for a few seconds."

"Hmm… Let me think about that… No!" The man smiled smugly and pulled something out of his pocket. He handed it to Kat, who looked at it confusedly.

"Well, technically it's not your choice. I was just being polite. 'Scuse me." He pushed past her and into the flat. Kat closed the door with a sigh.

"Who are you?"

"Read the badge." The man replied, not taking his eyes of the beeping machine.

"Yes, I know you're 'Captain Jack Harkness of the Torchwood Institute'. I mean who are you, as in, why are you in my flat?"

"I told you, I'm looking for my friend."

"Look, just 'cause you're from some 'Torchwood' or something, which by the way I've never heard of, does not give you the right to just walk into my flat at will! And evidently, YOUR FRIEND IS NOT HERE!" Jack was standing in the middle of the room, holding out the metal beeping object at an arms length, and slowly turning around on the spot. "On second thoughts I might just call a mental hospital…" Kat muttered to herself.

"Actually, it does give me the right to 'just walk into your flat at will'. And this thing says that he is here. "

"What is that thing?"

"Sonic locator, you wouldn't understand." He broke out of his circle and walked over to Kat. The machine started beeping more frantically as it got closer. Jack looked Kat up and down, and caught sight of the pen. "Mind if I have a look at that?"

"If I say 'no', you're just going to take it anyway, aren't you?"

"Yep." Kat handed the pen over with a sigh.

"Just, don't break it." But Jack wasn't listening. He was moving the beeping machine around the pen. The beeping was more frantic than ever. After a few seconds, he pressed something on the beeping thing to stop the noise, and shoved it back in his pocket.

"Where did you get this?" He asked curiously.

"I found it. In a bin." Kat had now folded her arms across her chest and was scowling deeply, which was never a good sign. Jack let out a little laugh.

"No really, where did you find it?"

"I told you! In a bin! Look, if you don't believe me you can take your 'sonic locator' and get out of-"

"Alright alright! I believe you! Where was this… bin?" Kat sat down on a sofa, and Jack sat on the one opposite her.

"It was by the Adipose building a few miles away from here. You know, where the spaceship was sighted a few hours ago?"

"Yeah, I was there."

"Well, there was this man, and he threw it in the bin. And I went and got it out."

"So you went rummaging… in a bin… for a pen that some random man threw in it?"

"Not just some random man. He's- Oh, you wouldn't understand."

"Try me." Kat sighed reluctantly and told Jack all about the man, when she had seen him when she was eight, when she had seen him on TV two years ago, and when she had seen him that night. She told him how he never seemed to change, not even his clothes. Jack's smile widened as she went on, giving her more and more cause to think that he was mad, and also making her ask herself more and more why she was telling him all of this.

"- And because it was him, I thought: 'Well, if he's thrown something in a bin, there's a good chance that it'll be something special." When Kat had finished, Jack leapt to his feet.

"He was there! I don't believe it! He was there, and we didn't even see him!" He was still in thought for a moment, before looking at Kat, a hysteric smile on his face. "He's back! After all this time, we finally have a connection!" Kat stood up as well, confused.

"Who is he?" Kat was glad that she could finally ask the question that she had been wandering since she was eight and nobody could answer. Except maybe this man… Jack sat down again, but looked as though he would rather be up trying to find this man.

"His name is The Doctor. He's a-" Jack broke off, as if considering whether to tell Kat the next part or not. "You wouldn't believe me."

"Try me."

"He's a Time Lord. They're… Okay, this is going to sound weird. They're… a species of alien." Kat considered this for a moment, and was surprised to find that she wasn't actually all that surprised.

"Okay." She replied slowly. Jack smiled just slightly.

"Most people wouldn't believe me if I told them that, even after everything that's happened over the last few years… Anyway, the only other thing I can tell you about him is that he has saved your life more times that you could imagine, everyone on this planets' life. But I can't tell you anything else. His file's so secret, we had to invent a whole new level of classification for it."

"So, are you going to go and find him? Hang on, why d'you even need to find him?" Jack paused again.

"You know everything in the news about the water rising?" Kat nodded.

"Yeah, it's been happening since I was born. What about it?"

"Well, he's the only one who can help us."

"You mean, we're actually in danger? I thought it was just a few centimeters per year?"

"That's what they tell you, yeah… I've said too much already." Jack stood up and threw the pen back to Kat, who caught it one handed. "You can keep that. Just… don't do anything stupid with it. Thanks for the help… I never asked your name."

"Katherine Starling. But everyone calls me Kat." Jacks eyes widened. "What?" Kat asked when she saw his expression.

"Nothing. Anyway, thanks for your help Kat, but I gotta go now. I'll let myself out. Bye!" And with that, he was gone. Kat just sat there staring at the door for a few seconds, in a daze, trying to think over what had just happened. Suddenly, she snapped back to reality. _What are you doing? Go after him! He knows about that man! That 'Doctor'! He could answer the question that you've wanted to know for ten years now! _Kat jumped to her feet and grabbed her black leather jacket which was hanging up by the door.

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><p><strong>AN:** So that's the end of chapter two! I hope you liked it! What does this Captain Jack Harkness know about The Doctor, and why was he so shocked when he heard Kat's name? You'll have to read the next chapter to find out!

I've never watched Torchwood, so I don't know if I've got… the feel of it, I suppose you could say. Also, I'd just like to point out that in this story, anything that happened in the Torchwood series that involves the public (like an alien invasion or something) never happened. Anyway, please R,R&CC (See top A/N for what that means!) And please ask me any questions you like! Oh, and don't forget to check the story blog on the prologue page for updates, and tell me in your review what your favorite line is! (see the last blog entry for details about that.)


	4. Answers

**Title:** The Starling Chronicles: Turning Tides

**Summary:** (The first story in the 'Doctor Who: The Starling Chronicles' Series.) Aliens have fascinated Katherine Starling since she had an encounter with one when she was eight. But when she makes a connection between the alien activity around London and one man, her life changes forever.

**A/N:** Here's chapter three! The plot's about the thicken… I think. Please bare in mind that I've never watched Torchwood, I've just read a LOT of wikipedia today… So yeah, sorry if I get any details wrong. Also, I didn't know which characters to include, because I don't know who dies when and what not… So if I've included someone who is supposedly dead, it's just going to be one of those 'it never happened' things. Anyway, please read, review and constructively criticize! (By the way, sorry for the really long wait for this chapter! I was very low on inspiration.)

**Disclaimer:** Doctor who is owned by the BBC. I own Kat, and anything/anyone that/who does not feature in Doctor Who.

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><p>Rushing out of the door, she caught Jack just as he was walking away across the road.<p>

"Oh no you don't." She stood in front of him to stop him from walking away.

"Oh hello again, forgot something?" Kat crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm coming with you." She stated. Jack sighed.

"Look, go home, sit down, and eat chips. Get on with your life, and forget all about me." He tried to walk past her, but Kat stuck her hand out.

"Oh no you don't. I'm coming with you whether you like it or not. You don't have a choice." Jack stared at her for what seemed like an eternity, until finally he said:

"The Doctor would like you. Stubborn. Fiercely willed. Hmm… Well, I guess you could come… But Kat, bare in mind that if you come with me, your life will be changed forever." Kat actually paused to ponder upon this for a second. She considered the pros and cons. On one hand, if she went with Jack, she would be fulfilling her life goal of trying to find out who the Doctor was. But on the other hand, Kat had a feeling that Jack was serious when he said that her life would change.

"I… I'm coming with you." Jack looked at her, considering her for a while.

"Come on then. Van's a few blocks away." They walked in silence, side by side until they reached the 'van', which was more like a mobile-research centre. Totally black with two floors, it was the size of a double Decker bus. All the windows were blacked out. "Home sweet home." Jack muttered, and typed in a complicated series of numbers on the side of the van. A door slid silently open. "Guys. We've got fresh meat." He called, and proceeded to hang his coat up on a peg just inside the door. Kat stepped inside and looked around. There wasn't very much to see, only a sofa, a kitchen (of sorts) and a TV.

"I was expecting some high-tech equipment and what-not." She said to Jack.

"The interesting bit's upstairs. It's just the living space down here. Gwen!" Footsteps could be heard hurrying downstairs, and a woman appeared with straight black hair and a welsh accent when she spoke. She looked Kat up and down disapprovingly.

"And who's this? Jack, you can't bring back ever woman you find hanging around on the streets!" Kat was about to protest, but Jack got there first.

"She had this." He tossed her the pen. Gwen looked it over closely, and pushed the button. The end lit up, and the pen buzzed feebly.

"No! I don't believe it! A sonic! What's it doing with her?" jack shrugged and sat down on a sofa.

"I tracked it to her flat. She said she found it in a bin. And guess what, this is the best part right. She saw The Doctor! He was right there, and we missed him!"

"No!"

"Yes!" Kat felt like she'd been forgotten.

"Wow, bad luck for you guys. So, um… Who exactly are you? And who is this 'Doctor'?"

"Well, you should know, you've seen him enough times." Jack sat down and put his arms behind his head, feet resting on the other end of the sofa. Gwen threw the sonic pen at him.

"Hey! Shoes off if your gonna do that!"

"Yes mum…" Jack muttered, and sat up instead. Kat shook her head.

"Wait wait wait. Slow down, let me get this straight. Who are you?" Jack was about to reply, but Kat spoke first.

"Yes, I know your name. But what is Torchwood?" Jack was about to speak again, but Gwen got there first this time.

"Sorry, can't tell you. Confidential. Jack, why exactly did you bring her back here anyway?" Kat scowled. She didn't like this woman, who thought that she could boss her around.

"I have a name. It's Katherine Starling. And since I seem to be the one with the sonic pen around here," she grabbed it from Jack.

"Then I suggest you tell me." The two women stood facing each other, a few meters apart, both scowling horribly.

"And who are you with the right to come charging in here demanding confidential information?" Kat put one finger to her lips in mock thought.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because I could go and tell anyone about you right now." Gwen failed to cover up a look of panic. Kat smirked. "Oh yes, don't think I don't know when someone's in hiding. Nice bus by the way. May wanna work a bit more on the camouflage next time though." Hatred was radiating off Gwen and Kat like a fire.

"Right! I've had it! Jack, get her out!" Once again Kat cut off Jack.

"Uh, excuse me, but I think I have a right to know exactly what's going on around here. Yesterday, I was just a normal person, and now I have some secret government agency chasing me up!" Jack stood up, fed up with not being able to get a word in.

"Ladies!" He shouted. Kat and Gwen both turned their heads to stare at him horribly. Jack suddenly felt as if he had lost the high ground. "Right, can everyone just calm down please?" He continued a bit more quietly. A shout came from upstairs.

"Can you keep it down down there? I'm trying to work up here!"

"Yeah sorry Owen." Jack called back absentmindedly. "Look, Gwen, I couldn't stop her coming. Seriously, she was threatening to tell the police about us, and you know how serious that would be." Kat tried to hide her puzzled look. _I didn't threaten to tell the police… _Gwen frowned.

"Well, how long is she staying for?"

"However long it takes." They exchanged a look. With a final humph, Gwen turned and strode back upstairs noisily. Silently, Jack motioned to a door near the front of the van. Kat followed silently. She was too curious to see that this man could pose a threat to her. Jack entered the dark room, and flicked on a light. It was the driving cab. There was a huge dashboard spread out along the entire front end, containing all the usual dials, speedometer, fuel levels, mileage. But there were also radar panels, screens, several of which were tuned into different news channels. There were three seats all in a row, the one on the very right hand side seemed to be the driver's seat, as there was a steering wheel in front of it, and pedals below it. Jack shut the door behind them, strode over to one of the passenger seats, sat down, and motioned for Kat to take the other. She sat down huffily.

"Why did you lie? About me going to the police?" Her voice was irritated. Jack sighed, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Let me start from the beginning. I work for Torchwood. In fact, I practically built Torchwood. Well, this version of it at least. You never heard of Torchwood?" Kat thought for a moment before shaking her head. Jack laughed slightly. "Well, you wouldn't have. It's one of those subjects that people don't talk about. Typical humans, wanting to forget things that have happened, not to remember them and reflect on them And Doomsday is a perfect example of that. Anyway, Torchwood isn't in with the Government. Well, not any more. We're separate. Our job is to research aliens that come to earth. Bu-ut, we've kinda taken on the job of the whole 'save the world' thing as well." Kat listened intently, somehow getting the feeling that things were about to change for her, like Jack had promised. He continued. "We defend the earth from aliens. Well, a bit. The Doctor contributes a whole lot, but I'll get onto that bit later." He added, as Kat was about to start asking questions. "Torchwood was founded by Elizabeth the First after, it is said, she had extraterrestrial contact. Threatening contact. Ever since then, Torchwood has worked with the Government as a secret alien research facility, unknown to the general public. But then came the ghosts. Torchwood was big, based in London, and had been put in charge of the ghost shifts. Everyone had heard of them then. But after what happened with the ghosts, the 'Cybermen' they were called, and the Daleks, Torchwood was destroyed." Jack paused so that Kat could take this in. "But a few months later, someone realised: 'what if The Doctor isn't always here to save us? What is someday we need to protect ourselves from aliens?' So the government tried to rebuild Torchwood. But they didn't get very far before The Doctor felt he had to intervene. Before Torchwood opened formally, it was destroyed, leaving the Government with a threat not to build another. After what happened on Doomsday, nobody could blame the Doctor for wanting to destroy any rebuilds of Torchwood." Even though Kat had never heard the name Doomsday, she knew exactly what it was. "But then comes me. I build another Torchwood based in Cardiff, which the Government is unaware of. And here we are. Now, questions." Kat couldn't think of what to ask first.

"So let me get this straight. You and… Gweyn, or whatever her name was,"

"Gwen." Said Jack helpfully.

"Yeah, her. You two are part of this top secret organization saving the world from aliens?" Jack nodded.

"Well, along with a few others-"

"Pfft! Well a fat lot of good you've done! Did you see that woman die just tonight? She was dropped from their tractor beam or whatever! She died!"

"'She' was not human. Not our responsibility."

"And? That's no excuse! She died! How d'you know that she wasn't just some poor lost alien, nothing to do with the spacecraft?" Unexpectedly, Jack smiled.

"The Doctor really would like you. Not only are you stubborn, but you're actually trying to get me to sympathize with an alien!" Kat didn't let him get anything else in.

"And another thing! Who actually _is _this 'Doctor'?" But Jack didn't answer. He was just staring at Kat, like he'd just realized something.

"Hang on, if I was telling anyone else all this, they'd be trying to deny the existence of alien life. Blame all the sightings on Government aircraft testing or something. But not you… What's different about you? You seem almost… familiar with aliens. Like you already knew." Kat froze.

"I don't know anything." Her sudden fear gave it away. Jacks gaze went icy cold.

"Katherine, what do you know?" Kat swallowed.

"I said, nothing." Jack started guessing. And he was pretty good at guessing.

"You've met aliens before, haven't you?" Kat swallowed again. There was no point in pretending. She cleared her throat nervously.

"When I was eight. A ship crash-landed in my garden one night. An alien came to my window. She… She spoke to me in my mind. She asked to come in, and I let her. Her name was Ksi. She came from a planet called Arcateen V. She was my age, we were friends… If it'd happened now, I would have run for my life. But I was only eight. I thought it was wonderful that I'd met an alien. Nobody believed me of course. They just called me a liar, end of. But she'd been there, in my room. I never forgot about her." Kat thought about adding the part about being given the pebble, but thought better of it. Jack listened intently.

"So you met an alien when you were eight? What planet did it say it came from?"

"She. She said a planet called Arcateen V." Jack leant back in his chair.

"Well that explains a lot." There was a long pause, in which Jack seemed to be considering something. Finally, he spoke.

"Can you stay here tonight? It's well past midnight, and I'd like to ask you some more questions tomorrow." Kat nodded hesitantly. _You're in it now; you might as well go the full hog._ Jack stood. "Stay here. I'll be back in a minute." He went outside, leaving the door slightly ajar, to where Gwen and a man were lying on the floor in sleeping bags. Kat could just see and hear them through the almost-closed door. The two looked up as Jack entered.

"So?" Gwen asked, the start of a scowl perched on her face.

"Kat's staying here tonight. No arguments." He added as Gwen opened her mouth to say something.

"It's my night drive shift. Katherine'll stay with me in the Driver's cab." The man, who Kat assumed was Owen, raised an eyebrow.

"Good luck." Jack threw him a dirty look as he reentered the driver's cab. Kat pretended not to have heard anything.

"We drive at night when there's less risk of being seen. I'm sorry, but if you're going to come with us tonight, then you'll have to get a cab home tomorrow. We need to get back to Cardiff." Jack strapped himself into the driver's seat, and Kat put on her own safety belt. They pulled out of the alleyway and onto the main road. As they passed the area where the spaceship had been, there was no evidence to suggest that anything abnormal had ever happened there. _So like Humans to try and cover up what we don't understand… _They drove in silence for a while, Jack occasionally trying to make convocation. But Kat wasn't in the mood for chatting. There was one question that had been bugging her all night. _No, not all night. Ever since I first saw the Doctor._ Jack had seemed to be avoiding the question.

"Who is The Doctor?" Kat broke the silence by asking the question once again. Jack didn't take his eyes off the road. He wasn't startled by the question, and Kat could tell that he'd been expecting it.

"I'm sorry Kat, but that's the one thing I can't tell you. Yet." Kat had been expecting this answer, and although she had been prepared for it, it still annoyed her. Kat always liked to know the truth, so it always annoyed her when there was a piece of information that she knew existed, but she couldn't get at. However, she didn't talk back. She knew she wouldn't get any more out of Jack. They lapsed into silence one more. Kat felt her eyes becoming heavy, getting tired, closing…

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><p><strong>AN: **And there we have it, chapter three! I have a rough plan of what to do for the next few chapters, but I'm not sure after that… I haven't really planned this story out, I'm just writing as it comes… Well, anyway, I'm sure I'll think of something. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and please R, R &CC! J


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